Extendable “PUSH” clasp on my Seamaster 300M is broken, and OB says clasps are 10+ months back ordered. Is it safe to wear?

Tekashi_145.022 · Oct 17, 2024

The “PUSH” button on my ref. 210.30.42.20.03.001 bracelet worked great for 2 years. A month ago, it became extremely stiff to operate, but was usable with a little extra effort. Now, it is completely frozen - the button is completely locked and doesn’t push down at all except for a small wiggle on the right side. I can’t find anyone else on the web with this particular clasp issue.

My OB says I need a new clasp, but that they’ve been back ordered for 10+ months and I should just check in monthly with them.

I’m wondering if the clasp is safe to wear? The OB didn’t know, but I don’t know how long I’ll be waiting and figured I’d ask here… tried to get some curved spring bars for a NATO strap I had, but they were all out of those, too. Guess I will throw it on a leather strap in the meantime…

Cheers

Scarecrow Boat · Oct 17, 2024

Tekashi_145.022
A month ago, it became extremely stiff to operate, but was usable with a little extra effort. Now, it is completely frozen - the button is completely locked and doesn’t push down at all except for a small wiggle on the right side.

I’m curious if you have tried washing the clasp under hot water with mild detergent to see if that frees anything up?

Meme-Dweller · Oct 17, 2024

It's safe to wear. The worst that can happen is that the microadjust may extend to the max. It's unlikely something that will be fixed by washing.

Though I haven't heard of this specific failure, it's a relatively simple design and there's this prong underneath the PUSH button held on by a rivet that acts as a spring which pushes the PUSH button up and keeps the two teeth locked to the side of the clasp. The prong is the only logical reason why your PUSH isn't working anymore and it's either bent, damaged, or jammed on something.

If you haven't worked on this clasp before and/or aren't good at putting things back together, I wouldn't recommend taking this clasp apart if you're considering it. This clasp, once you remove the 4 screws keeping it together, has the comedic effect of completely falling apart. 15 parts will fall out all at once. Putting it back together is also a delicate sport too.

Meme-Dweller · Oct 17, 2024

Not my photo, but here's a pic of the prong I'm talking about:

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redzer007 · Oct 18, 2024

Hot soapy bath for a few hours and then a few goes in an ultrasonic cleaner is also worth a try. Even if it does not fix the issue I'm always amazed at the crap that comes off what appears to be a pretty clean bracelet. I also agree should be safe to wear siezed. Cheap ultra sonic cleaners can be had on Amazon etc. Not as good as the pro ones, but for the.price v acceptable. Stating the obvious I know, but remove bracelet from the watch before any of this. Worst outcome is you are back where you started but with a clean bracelet

JimInOz · Oct 18, 2024

redzer007
Hot soapy bath for a few hours and then a few goes in an ultrasonic cleaner is also worth a try. Even if it does not fix the issue I'm always amazed at the crap that comes off what appears to be a pretty clean bracelet. I also agree should be safe to wear siezed. Cheap ultra sonic cleaners can be had on Amazon etc. Not as good as the pro ones, but for the.price v acceptable. Stating the obvious I know, but remove bracelet from the watch before any of this. Worst outcome is you are back where you started but with a clean bracelet

That would be my first step too.

Annapolis · Oct 18, 2024

Is the watch under warranty still? (You said 2 years, so it might be, but not sure if you bought it new.)

FWIW, the second time I had one of these bracelets fail (different issue from yours), my AD decided that instead of making me wait weeks or months for another replacement, they’d just take the functioning bracelet off of one of their in-stock watches of the same model and swap it for mine. Then they’d deal with the warranty replacement on their own. I’d inquire about that possibility. Though it’s unlikely.

reverbtime · Oct 18, 2024

Annapolis
Is the watch under warranty still? (You said 2 years, so it might be, but not sure if you bought it new.)

FWIW, the second time I had one of these bracelets fail (different issue from yours), my AD decided that instead of making me wait weeks or months for another replacement, they’d just take the functioning bracelet off of one of their in-stock watches of the same model and swap it for mine. Then they’d deal with the warranty replacement on their own. I’d inquire about that possibility. Though it’s unlikely.

Now that's great customer service. Wish my local AD were the same.

Annapolis · Oct 18, 2024

reverbtime
Now that's great customer service. Wish my local AD were the same.

Well, this was after months of issues and many emails and calls back and forth. But yes, they did right by me, also giving me a free OEM rubber strap and tang buckle.

Tekashi_145.022 · Oct 18, 2024

Meme-Dweller
Not my photo, but here's a pic of the prong I'm talking about:

Thank you so much for this photo, as well as the information re: the clasp being a pain to reassemble! I probably would've tried to take it apart if you had not cautioned me about reassembly.

Looking at this picture, it feels as if the left prong is completely locked in place. Per @Scarecrow Boat's suggestion, warm water and detergent seemed to loosen it temporarily and allow me to make adjustments when I pulled the "push" button to the side and then pushed the button, but it felt solid as a rock again after cooling off...

redzer007
Hot soapy bath for a few hours and then a few goes in an ultrasonic cleaner is also worth a try. Even if it does not fix the issue I'm always amazed at the crap that comes off what appears to be a pretty clean bracelet. I also agree should be safe to wear siezed. Cheap ultra sonic cleaners can be had on Amazon etc. Not as good as the pro ones, but for the.price v acceptable. Stating the obvious I know, but remove bracelet from the watch before any of this. Worst outcome is you are back where you started but with a clean bracelet

I don't know how I hadn't thought of this, but I actually put my bracelet in an ultrasonic cleaner a week or two before this issue began. I wonder if that may've caused the issue? I used this GemOro with the GemOro Sparkle Pak Plus solution that several TRF users recommended after using it on their modern Rolex clasps. I assumed the same machine and solution would be suitable for a modern Omega clasp with similar clasp functionality, but maybe it jostled the rivet or the prong... I guess it won't hurt to try it again to see if it helps. (FWIW, I put a Speedmaster clasp with the same "Push" button feature into the same ultrasonic cleaning, and it's working fine).

Thanks everyone for the help! 🙂

Tekashi_145.022 · Oct 18, 2024

An update: lifting up on this bar allows me to manipulate the push button for a few clicks. Thought I’d share in case someone else with this problem stumbles into the thread and needs to adjust the clasp in a pinch. It is still a mini ordeal to adjust it, but at least it’s not stuck in one position any longer.

Tekashi_145.022 · Dec 6, 2024

To put a bow on things: since my OB couldn’t provide a timeline into when they would have a new clasp, I sent the bracelet to Swatch under a warranty claim. They received it Nov. 7 and mailed it back by Dec. 4 - pretty impressive IMO given Thanksgiving week falling in the service window! They ended up replacing the entire clasp instead of repairing the previous one.

The new clasp was installed on my bracelet, and even had stickers on it when I opened it. They returned everything I sent with the bracelet, from the random cloth bag I stuffed the bracelet in to printed emails I packaged with the parcel, which was thoughtful. The entire box and its contents reeked of cigarette smoke upon receipt, but that may’ve been UPS’s doing and not the Swatch service center’s. Easily sorted out by washing the bracelet under some water, so no worse for wear.

I’m not sure what to make of my OB saying the parts were indefinitely back-ordered when Swatch seemed to have a clasp on hand, but overall, I was very pleased with the warranty process and speed of the repair. I love Omega’s 5 year warranty - it’s great to see a company stand behind their product, no questions asked.

Here’s the new clasp. Thanks again to everyone who offered their thoughts and insights.